General Information

COMMON NAMES: Celosia, Red Fox, Foxtail Amaranth, Crested Celosia, Cockscomb Celosia, Common Cockscomb, Feathered Celosia GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Africa - Asia COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands, gardens SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental flowers KEY FEATURES: Annual herb to 1.5m (normal form).

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	-	-						-

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-			-

Celosia argentea Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Celosia argentea Flume Group; Celosia argentea plumosa; Celosia plumosa; Celosia argentea Cristata Group; Celosia argentea cristata; Celosia cristata

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); CARYOPHYLLIDAE; Caryophyllales; AMARANTHACEAE

GENERAL NOTE: There is not much agreement among botanists on the species status of the three plants we are including in this species. It is agreed that the simple-flowered Celosia argentea has 1-few spikes of purplish flowers. They also agree that the plume-flowered plants and the crested- or cristate-flowered plants were derived from the basic form. Therefore some scientists refer to them as Celosia argentea Flume Group and Celosia argentea Cristata Group. Other scientists raise these derived-forms to subspecies level as Celosia argentea plumosa and Celosia argentea cristata. Yet other scientists raise these derived-forms to species level as Celosia plumosa and Celosia cristata.

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.332 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.51 Tropica
p.2/284 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.48 R Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zupB03a, zM02, zupM03a

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